Alaska voters may be ranking Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for president in November, and they may even rank Cornel West, the socialist, or Oliver Chase, the Libertarian, but they won’t be ranking Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who at this moment is still on the Alaska general election ballot.
That’s because the Democrat-turned-Independent said he is suspending his race for president. He is expected made the formal announcement in Arizona today, and his team told reporters in advance he would endorse Trump.
RFK on Trump: "I was a ferocious critic of many of the policies during his first administration, and there are still issues and approaches upon which we continue to have very serious differences, but we are aligned with each other on other key issues."https://t.co/GDKTCfk8tU
RFK Jr. had been working to get onto a few remaining state ballots but was being blocked by the Democratic Party in Democrat-run states.
“Democrats stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, against colonialism, imperialism, and unjust wars. We were the party of labor of the working class. The Democrats were the party of government transparency and the champion of the environment. Our party was the bulwark against big money, interests, and corporate power. True to its name. It was the party of democracy,” he said, slamming the Democratic Party for its new authoritarian qualities.
Kennedy, 70, had recently had talks with Trump team allies. The liberal environmental lawyer had been snubbed by his own Democratic Party, which was hellbent on reelecting Joe Biden, until the party pivoted and threw Biden to the wolves in favor of Kamala Harris.
Kennedy has been in talks with Trump allies for the past few weeks.
Former President Donald Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of overseeing an invasion at the southern border during a news conference in southern Arizona alongside the families of murder victims allegedly killed at the hands of foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.
Harris “has overseen a nation-wrecking border invasion,” Trump said at the Arizona-Mexico border.
Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She did so after “a coup” forcing out President Joe Biden, Trump said at his news conference.
“For nearly four years, Comrade Kamala … has allowed at least 20 million people, all illegal aliens, into our country, including millions and millions of unvetted fighting age men from over 158 different countries,” Trump said. The Center Square has reported the number of illegal border crossings is more than 12.5 million.
Because of Biden-Harris policies, Border Patrol agents “are being forced to free tens of thousands of illegal aliens from custody week after week. These are the most violent criminals that you’ll ever see. Every day brings another story about innocent Americans being tortured, raped murdered and massacred by illegal aliens that Kamala Harris has set free in our country.”
Trump described the criminals released into the country and the types of crimes they committed in their home countries or in the U.S. They include a Peruvian gang leader wanted for 23 murders; “an illegal alien who approached two 13-year-olds with a machete in New York in broad daylight in front of other people and forced them into the woods, tied them together by the wrist, and raped them over and over again.”
Migrants were just arrested “for the rape of a 46-year-old woman in Coney Island who threw her to the ground and raped her with a knife to her throat,” he said. “One of them had previously been arrested for raping another woman but instead of being deported he was released into our country and told to enjoy your life.”
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, “a woman who was offered a ride home by two illegal aliens was instead kidnapped, held down and raped then driven around while the illegals discussed how they planned to kill her. They didn’t want to have a witness,” Trump said. She escaped by throwing herself out of the moving car.
Trump also described a crime in the Bronx, allegedly committed by “an illegal alien who Kamala set loose into the country, [who] approached a 36-year-old woman while pretending to ask for directions, before he wrapped his arms around her throat, pinned her down on a park bench, and raped her publicly. She said, he wasn’t trying to rape me, he was trying to kill me.’”
The former president also described the sexual assault of two young girls in Michigan by an illegal border crosser; the murder of a 54-year-old mother of four in Virginia who was killed by “an illegal alien trying to steal her car” and who “ran her down, ran her over and left her dead on the ground;” and a Venezuelan “illegal alien criminal let in by Comrade Kamala [who] shot a female police officer multiple times with a rifle” in Texas.
Trump described the murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was “assaulted, beaten and horrifically murdered. Kamala Harris let in the illegal alien animal who murdered Laken. This monster was in Border Patrol custody. They didn’t want to let him go but under Kamala’s policies, he was set free to kill and that’s what he did.
“Kamala let this bloodthirsty killer go free and then he murdered beautiful Laken.”
Trump also described “the heartbreaking story of Rachel Moran,” whose family members joined him at the news conference and spoke. Rachel was “brutally raped and murdered by an illegal alien who was let into America by Kamala Harris and her policies of stupidity. The savage person who committed this heinous crime first killed another woman in El Salvador before walking across our open border” before allegedly committing a home invasion in Los Angeles.
“Biden-Harris unleashed a deadly plague of migrant crime on our country” that “shattered so many families’ lives and stole so many incredible young lives,” Trump said.
“We can’t let it happen to other people. We can’t let what you’re going through happen to other families,” he said to the Angel families joining him. One was 12-year-old Houston murder victim Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother, who endorsed Trump. The victims’ lives were taken “all for no reason whatsoever” by “hardened, hardened criminals pouring into our country,” he said.
Trump refuted the claims made by some Democrats and news outlets that illegal foreign nationals “don’t commit crimes like people that live here.”
The Center Square has reported for years on Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers pursuing, arresting and removing criminals and fugitives illegally in the country. From fiscal years 2021 through 2023 alone, ICE agents arrested more than 387,000 criminal noncitizens, breaking records in fiscal 2023. The majority were from Mexico, Nicaragua, Columbia and Venezuela.
“They make our criminals look like babies,” Trump said. “Our criminals all of a sudden don’t look so tough. These are the roughest people from all over the world.”
At our recent Alaska Republican Party state convention, I brought attention to a reality transcending party lines: Alaska operates more like a colony than a state.
This isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a fact grounded in numbers. A staggering 57% of Alaska’s state budget is funded by federal dollars, and over 60% of our land is owned and controlled by the federal government.
Colonialism is not just about funding; it’s about control. Instead of Alaska realizing its potential as the greatest natural resource development state in the nation, we’ve become a microcosm of federal bureaucracy. Unelected government officials wield significant power, making decisions that affect the daily lives of Alaskans, without truly understanding or prioritizing our unique needs.
By definition, a colony is an area controlled politically by a more powerful entity, and Alaska fits this description all too well. This is not a partisan issue—it’s an Alaskan issue.
We need leaders who will stand up for our state’s autonomy, who will push back against this overreach, and who will ensure Alaskans have the final say in what happens on our land and with our resources.
Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, we all share the same stake in Alaska’s future. It’s time to come together and work toward a state that truly reflects the will and needs of its people.
Before I delve deeper into this issue, I want to extend my gratitude to Nancy Dahlstrom for her decision to withdraw from the U.S. Congressional race. Whether or not she realized it, being a “straw woman” in a scheme designed to maintain federal control over Alaska is more the norm than the exception in our political landscape.
Let’s talk about Nancy Dahlstrom’s Trump endorsement.
The harsh truth is that this endorsement wasn’t born out of Trump’s deep understanding or appreciation of Dahlstrom’s political skill. Instead, it was orchestrated by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which reached its long, sinewy arm into Alaska’s political landscape, completely bypassing local wisdom and experience.
They selected a person with an uncertain future.
Why? Because many within the top-tier of the Republican establishment were opposed to Nick Begich representing Alaska in Congress.
This tactic isn’t new—it’s exactly how we ended up with Sarah Palin as our candidate in 2022.
The NRCC manipulated the process then, and we all saw the consequences. Palin was thrust into the race, splitting the vote and paving the way for Mary Peltola’s victory. And where is Palin now? She’s certainly not representing Alaska in Congress, nor is she even present in Alaska politics. We came dangerously close to repeating this mistake with Dahlstrom, whose endorsement was driven more by external interests than by what’s best for Alaska.
The NRCC’s backing of Dahlstrom shouldn’t fool us. Their polling, strategy, and analysts may appear sophisticated, but they are detached from the realities on the ground here in Alaska, where 40% of Republican district committees endorsed Begich. This detachment was further evidenced by the ranked-choice voting strategy used in the 2022 Murkowski campaign for U.S. Senate.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) poured significant resources into Murkowski’s campaign, despite the fact that Murkowski had been censured by the Alaska Republican Party. Murkowski’s opponent, Kelly Tshibaka, had been officially endorsed by the state party. We’ve seen this pattern of ignoring local concerns in favor of top-down control by the D.C. elite in other campaigns as well.
Take 2010, for instance, when Joe Miller defeated incumbent Lisa Murkowski in the primary election for U.S. Senate. Murkowski then ran in the general election as a write-in candidate and defeated Miller, thanks to the resources of the NRSC. Once again, the long arm of Washington, D.C., dictated the outcome, favoring the status quo.
We cannot allow federal interests that run contrary to our values to dictate or sabotage our political future. We need to stand firm, demand what’s right for Alaska, and support a candidate who can genuinely represent our interests in Congress.
Alaska has been functioning as a colony since statehood. Despite the many government employees and contractors who benefit from the federal government’s involvement in over 57% of our state’s budget, we continue to overlook the fact that Alaska holds the greatest natural resource development potential in the nation. Y
et, very little of that potential is being realized due to the federal government’s stranglehold—a situation that has persisted since statehood.
It’s time for Alaska’s voters to wake up and make a change. We need leaders in US Congress as well as our state legislature who will fight to end Alaska’s status as a colony and restore our state’s rightful autonomy and prosperity.
Michael Tavoliero is a senior writer at Must Read Alaska.
Much like the Mendenhall Glacier building up pressure, the chorus of people calling for Nancy Dahlstrom to drop from the congressional race is growing.
Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, one of the closest people to President Donald Trump, posted a message today aimed directly at Nancy Dahlstrom, who came in third in the recent Alaska primary race for Congress:
“Congrats to my friend @NickforAlaska on his decisive victory,” Donalds wrote of the top-placing Republican in the open primary. “Alaska is a red state and Nick will win with a united GOP behind him.:
“Nancy Dahlstrom ran a strong race, but she should drop out so we can beat radical Democrat Mary Peltola.”
Donalds is one of several who support Donald Trump and also support Nick Begich, making his second try for Congress. Vivek Ramaswamy, the House Freedom Caucus, and 40% of Alaska’s Republican district committees endorse Begich, as do six of the seven Republican women’s clubs and all of the Young Republican clubs in Alaska.
Dahlstrom has no significant endorsements in Alaska except Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s.
Also on Thursday afternoon, a petition was started to demand that Dahlstrom depart the race. Started by an entity calling itself Citizens Demanding Accountability, the petition can be found here.
The petition reads:
We, the undersigned citizens of Alaska, are deeply concerned about the recent actions of Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom, which we believe undermine the responsibilities and commitments she made when taking her oath of office on December 5, 2022. This oath requires her to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Alaska” and to “faithfully discharge her duties as Lieutenant Governor to the best of her ability.”
Despite losing the Primary Election in her bid for a seat in Congress, Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom continues to pursue this course, even as the Republican Party faces potential significant losses. We believe these actions are in direct conflict with the principles and duties outlined in her oath.
As Alaskans, we need solid, focused leadership, especially with the possibility of losing our Governor to Washington, D.C., in November. The state cannot afford to have its second-in-command distracted by campaign activities at such a critical time. Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom’s primary responsibility is to act in the Governor’s absence and to oversee the electoral process in our state. Given the challenges and concerns surrounding our election system, it is imperative that her focus remains on ensuring that Alaska’s elections are conducted legally and efficiently.
We call upon Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom to withdraw from her Congressional campaign and prioritize the leadership and governance of Alaska during this pivotal time. As the second-in-command of our state, we urge her to honor her commitment to “support and defend” and to put the needs of Alaskans above personal ambitions.
We, the undersigned, believe that transparency, accountability, and dedication to duty are fundamental to effective governance, and we ask Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom to reaffirm her commitment to these values by stepping back from her campaign and focusing on her current responsibilities to the people of Alaska.
For the good of Alaska, Nancy Dahlstrom should drop her bid for Congress, said one commenter on Dahlstrom’s campaign page on Facebook, adding “Alaskans need to stand together.”
After Dahlstrom posted a note on Facebook saying she was going to go forward to the November ballot, 86 people commented. All of those comments advised her, in no uncertain terms, to get out. There was just one commenter who told her to stay in the race, and that comment attracted disagreement and laughter emojis.
While paid political consultants in Washington, D.C. are convincing her to stay in, as they feed from the trough of campaigns, the feedback Dahlstrom is getting from Alaskans is uniform. In a poll in the Must Read Alaska newsletter, respondents overwhelmingly said she should drop: The poll went 95% against her.
After being in the race for nine months, she only has 350 followers on Facebook, but they are not being supportive of her current plan to stay in the race, where Nick Begich came in 23 points behind Rep. Mary Peltola, but where Dahlstrom is 30 points behind.
These are typical of the comments Dahlstrom is getting on her Facebook page, which we expect will be removed from her page soon:
The Must Read Alaska newsletter,which reaches 33,000 Alaskans three times a week, is known for pithy news, insights, and the Question of the Week, which is a nonscientific reading of the opinions of the mainly conservative readership.
This week, the opinions were nearly unanimous: 95% of participants in the three-day poll said that any Republican coming in after the first-place Republican in the congressional race should drop.
That means readers participating in the survey overwhelmingly agree that Nancy Dahlstrom, Matthew Salisbury, and Gerald Heikes should clear the decks so that leading candidate Nick Begich can go head-to-head with Rep. Mary Peltola in November, and so Republicans’ energies, funds, and enthusiasm is not diluted between various also-ran candidates.
Nick Begich, who got 6,000 more votes than Nancy Dahlstrom, learned the lesson in 2022. Those who are not in first can cost Republicans the ticket. Several months ago, he vowed that he would drop if he came in behind someone else. Dahlstrom never made that promise but said she would sit down with Begich and Gov. Mike Dunleavy and discuss the matter after the primary.
She didn’t, however. Before election results were in on Tuesday, Dahlstrom put up a press release on her website declaring herself as advancing to the general election. She then sent out a fundraising letter that celebrated her victory.
Must Read Alaska newsletter subscribers tend to be the conservative super voters in Alaska. They’re the ones who never miss an election. The newsletter is opened by more than 10,000 of these Alaskans every time it hits their email boxes.
In a previous week, Must Read Alaska ran a poll asking voters who they thought would be able to get the most done in Washington, D.C. — Mary Peltola, Nick Begich, or Nancy Dahlstrom. The results of that poll are:
Eagle River state Senate candidate Sharon Jackson, a Republican who came in last in the August primary election, has endorsed Republican Jared Goecker, the leading challenger of Sen. Kelly Merrick.
Republicans Goecker and Ken McCarty and Democrat Lee Hammermeister will head to the November ballot, along with incumbent Merrick, who is in her toughest campaign fight yet.
The results of the primary favor Goecker, who came within 43 votes of the well-funded, union-backed Merrick, who ended up forming up a Democrat-led majority in the Senate.
Goecker made the announcement in a press release.
“My goal has always been to support leaders who will champion the values we hold dear and work tirelessly for the betterment of Alaska. After Tuesday night’s primary results, it is clear to me that we must consolidate behind a single conservative to take this seat back,” said Jackson, who served a term as a state representative.
Jackson praised Jared Goecker for his dedication to conservative principles and his demonstrated leadership.
“Jared Goecker embodies the qualities that are essential for effective representation in the Alaska State Senate. His commitment to accountability, tough on crime policies, fiscal responsibility, and individual freedoms aligns perfectly with the vision we have worked toward. I am confident that he will be a strong advocate for our Chugiak-Eagle River shared values and will work diligently to address the needs of Alaskans,” she said.
“I am honored to receive Sharon Jackson’s endorsement and support,” Goecker said. “Her dedication to our community and her advocacy for conservative principles have been an inspiration to many. I am committed to continuing her legacy of service and to fighting for the issues that matter most to the people of Alaska.”
Jackson’s withdrawal and endorsement mark a big moment in the State Senate race, as her support is expected to bolster Goecker’s campaign and help consolidate conservatives to defeat leftist Kelly Merrick, Goecker said.
The election remains a crucial opportunity for Chugiak-Eagle River to choose a senator who will represent their values and address the challenges facing the state, his campaign said.
Rep. Jesse Sumner of House District 28-Wasilla has dropped from the general election ballot. That leaves Elexie Moore, Steve Menard, and Jessica Wright as the three who will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
It has long been speculated that Sumner would not stay on the ballot, and recently when he came out in favor of ranked-choice voting, it made it more likely he did not intend to stay and was blocking for Menard to prevent a stronger candidate from getting in the race.
Sumner is a homebuilder, husband, and father. Being a legislator takes a toll on a young family, as the serving legislator can be away for months at a time. Observers have said it’s been hard on the Sumner family.
In the primary election, he received just short of 33% of the vote. Menard received 27.3%, Elexie Moore received 23.4% and Jessica Wright received 16.6%.
Sumner has only served one term in the Alaska Legislature. In 2022 when he ran, he was behind Menard in the jungle primary but went past him in the ranked-choice voting general election.
This news was first reported by Alaska Landmine political blog.
After just an hour of oral arguments in the Alaska Supreme Court Thursday morning, the justices unanimously ruled that the petition booklets for the repeal of ranked choice voting were good and the court denied attorney Scott Kendall his attempt to stop voters from being able to repeal the law he worked so hard to put into place.
The challenge Kendall had launched was due to some of the petition books being certified by a notary public who had allowed her notary certification to lapse. The lieutenant governor allowed the petition booklets to get corrected with an up-to-date notary and attorney Kendall objected to that. Kendall, a long-time ally of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, was the force behind Alaskans for Better Elections, which convinced Alaskans to have jungle primaries and ranked-choice general elections, a method that has allowed both Sen. Lisa Murkowski to stay in power and has ushered in Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola.
It was obvious judges were not favorable to Kendall and they had a lot of difficult questions for him that he answered vaguely.
“It’s rewarding the courts saw through the smokescreen the other side putting forward,” said Kevin Clarkson, attorney for the group defending the petition to get a do-over onto the ballot.
The court upheld the Superior Court’s decision and said it would file an opinion later explaining why.
The group that brought jungle primaries and ranked-choice voting has a huge war chest to try to convince Alaskans to keep the system. They and other liberal groups are already running ads saying that the system helps Republicans, but the evidence is clearly to the contrary.
The Outside dark money that the pro-ranked choice group has to spend will no-doubt impact many races on the ballot, while the anti-ranked-choice group has very little financial resources to reach Alaska voters and get them to vote Yes on this year’s Ballot Measure 2.
Previously, a judge had denied Kendall his attempt to get the question off of the November ballot, but the amount of advertising now blanketing TV and radio shows that the group trying to keep ranked-choice voting has known all along it had a weak case for stopping the voters from being able to decide if they want to continue with the scheme.
